Day 6 – March 8, 2022

⁶ A child will be born to us.
    A son will be given to us.
    He will rule over us.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Adviser and Mighty God.
He will also be called Father Who Lives Forever
    and Prince Who Brings Peace.
⁷ There will be no limit to how great his authority is.
    The peace he brings will never end.
He will rule on David’s throne
    and over his kingdom.
    He will make the kingdom strong and secure.
His rule will be based on what is fair and right.
    It will last forever.
The Lord’s great love will make sure that happens.
    He rules over all.

Isaiah 9:6-7 (NIRV)

We usually associate this prophecy with Christmas and Handel’s ‘Messiah’. In the Christian tradition, the child that is born is none other than the babe in the manger – Jesus – whose name means ‘Savior.’ The vision is powerful. God sends a ruler that transforms the political and social landscape and establishes enduring peace through policies of justice. We believe that the prophecy will ultimately be fulfilled at the return of Christ.

How do you think we are supposed to live in this ‘in-between’ time waiting for the prophecy’s fulfillment? We often think that if only we elected the right person to leadership, every problem would be solved. In the end, we are always disappointed. Can this prophecy help guide us when selecting our leaders? If so, how?

Each day (except Sundays) during Lent, we will post a Scripture for reflection on our theme, “Military Withdrawal.” Together, we will learn to walk in God’s ways of peacemaking and reconciliation. These posts are meant to stimulate conversation and interaction. Please post your thoughts and comments.